US airstrikes in Libya doubled in less than 30 daysPress TV 18 Oct 2016 -- The US military has dramatically increased the number of its airstrikes in Libya in less than a month, new data shows, further cementing President Barack Obama's record of taking more military action than any other American president.

Afghan Government in Secret Talks With TalibanVOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Senior Afghan government and Taliban representatives reportedly have held at least two secret meetings in recent days in a bid to resume a long-awaited peace dialogue to end the war in Afghanistan.

U.S. Military Concludes Haiti Post-Hurricane Humanitarian EffortAFPS 18 Oct 2016 -- The 400 service members who took part in humanitarian relief efforts following Hurricane Matthew's wrath in Haiti are expected to return home in a couple of days, Navy Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command, told reporters at the Pentagon today.

Share of Naval Equipment in Russia's Arms Exports Totals 10%Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- The share of naval equipment in Russia's total foreign orders arms sales in 2015 constituted about 10 percent and it was worth some 1.5 billion, according to Anatoly Punchuk, deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

China building Fiery Cross Reef into naval, air force baseCNA 18 Oct 2016 -- China is building Fiery Cross Reef, or Yongshu Reef in the Spratly Islands, into its largest joint military base for its navy and air force in the South China Sea, according to the latest issue of Kanwa Defense Review.

Truce in Yemen as of Weds. night: UN special envoyIRNA 18 Oct 2016 -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced Monday a plan for the resumption of a comprehensive cessation of hostilities in the war-torn (Persian) Gulf nation.

Militants reject withdrawal from Syria's AleppoPress TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Foreign-backed militant groups have rejected withdrawing their members from northern Syrian city of Aleppo amid an announcement by Damascus and Moscow of a halt in airstrikes on militant positions in the city.

Iraqi Troops Advance Toward Mosul as ISIL Tries to Hide MovementsAFPS 18 Oct 2016 -- Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga security forces are working together as they advance along several axes to liberate Mosul, Iraq, from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant control, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, director of Pentagon press operations, told reporters today.

Mosul: UN mission calls for Iraqi unity behind Government forces fighting ISILUN News 18 Oct 2016 -- With the military operations under way to wrest the control of Mosul from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorists, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) today called on the Iraqi people to unite in support of their country's armed forces and is urging "that every step be taken to avoid civilian casualties."

Obama Confident Of IS Defeat After Second Day Of Mosul OffensiveRFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says a battle now underway to recapture Iraq's northern city of Mosul from Islamic State (IS) militants will be "a difficult fight," but he is confident that Iraqi forces leading the military operation will defeat the militant group.

UN: No Large Displacement of Mosul Residents YetVOA 18 Oct 2016 -- The United Nations said Tuesday that 36 hours into the Iraqi and Kurdish military offensive to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State group, it had not seen any immediate large outflows of residents from the city.

Iraq Braces for 'Humanitarian Catastrophe' as Civilians Set to Flee MosulVOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Beneath the barrage of weaponry being unleashed on Islamic State forces in Mosul live an estimated one-and-a-half million people, and aid agencies in Iraq are bracing for a humanitarian catastrophe. Up to a million civilians are expected to flee the fighting, adding to the already desperate refugee situation.

Persian Gulf Arab states favorites of Daesh: Iraqi PMPress TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Iraq's prime minister, whose country is engaged in a costly war with the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, has implied that a number of Arab governments in the Persian Gulf region have been aiding and abetting the terror outfit.

UPDATES: Day 2 of the battle for MosulPress TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Tuesday marks the second day of military operations by the Iraqi army, volunteer Shia and Sunni fighters as well as Kurdish Peshmerga forces to liberate the city of Mosul, the last stronghold of Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Iraq, which they overran in June 2014. Operations to free the city have been the subject of long planning, and the large-scale offensives are targeting the city from three different directions. Below is a series of live updates on the second day of the battle for Mosul.

Iraqi Mosul to Face Humanitarian Catastrophe - Russian Foreign MinistrySputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that nobody had calculated the risks of the operation to liberate northern Iraqi city of Mosul, occupied by the Daesh, as well as had solved such issues as preparation of shelters, food and health for refugees that would flee the city.

Kurds Call for Post-Liberation Plan for Mosul to Avoid Extremists InfiltrationSputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Head of the Kurdish Regional Mission to the European Union said that a clear political plan that would be implemented after the liberation of Mosul from the Daesh should be elaborated to avoid infiltration of extremist groups into the city, the head of the Kurdish Regional Mission to the European Union.

Kurdish Commanders Claim Quick Gains As Mosul Offensive OpensRFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- Kurdish commanders claimed wide advances as Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition jets, opened their assault on Mosul, part of a long-awaited effort to retake the northern Iraqi city from Islamic State militants.

Battle for Mosul Putting Iraq Leadership, US Vision to the TestVOA 18 Oct 2016 -- One day into the Iraqi-led operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State terror group, a hopeful Pentagon proclaimed the effort "ahead of schedule," well aware the outcome could have a significant impact on U.S. strategy in the region.

Ecuador Says It Restricted Assange's Internet LinkVOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Ecuador's government admitted Tuesday that it had "temporarily restricted" WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's internet access at its London embassy after the site published documents from Hillary Clinton's U.S. presidential campaign.

Salehi: Design of Arak reactor worked outIRNA 18 Oct 2016 -- Vice-President and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said on Tuesday that major part of design of Arak nuclear reactor has been worked out and only the heart remained to be installed.

Third report on JCPOA presented to Majlis commission: LawmakerIRNA 18 Oct 2016 -- A senior Iranian lawmaker said here on Tuesday that Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has presented the third report to National Security and Foreign Policy Commission regarding the nuclear deal known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

DPRK Delegate Speaks at UN MeetingKCNA 18 Oct 2016 -- A delegate of the DPRK made a speech at the discussion of the agenda "international cooperation in the peaceful use of space" at a meeting of the 4th Committee of the 71st UN General Assembly on October 13.

Permanent station plans ride on missionPeople's Daily 18 Oct 2016 -- As a Chinese spaceship rockets through the void toward a rendezvous with a new Chinese space lab, experts say a monumental step in the nation's long march in space exploration is about to occur.

Antares Rocket Takes Off to ISSSputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- The US Antares carrier rocket equipped with two Russian RD-181 engines blasted off to the International Space Station with the Cygnus cargo ship from the Wallops Flight Facility for the first time, NASA TV live broadcast showed.

Premier orders review of mini three linksCNA 18 Oct 2016 -- Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said on Tuesday that he will instruct the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) to examine difficulties facing direct transport links from Taiwan's outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu to Fujian province in China -- commonly known as the three mini links -- and propose countermeasures.

Hung not to mention 'one China, common interpretation' in BeijingCNA 18 Oct 2016 -- Chairman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) of the opposition Kuomintang will not mention her previous advocacy of "one China, common interpretation" when she visits Beijing to attend a cross-Taiwan Strait forum next month, according to Liao Kuo-tung (廖國棟), chief of the party's legislative caucus.

Controversial Political Deal Sets Congo Poll for April 2018VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- The political parties taking part in the national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo have adopted an agreement which delays elections by nearly two years to April 2018 and puts in place a power-sharing government to rule the country in the interim. But the main opposition coalition has rejected the deal.

An Inside Account Of Milosevic's Unfinished TrialRFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- The late Serbian ex-President Slobodan Milosevic died of a suspected heart attack in his prison cell on March 11, 2006, less than two months before his trial at The Hague war crimes tribunal was set to conclude.